The End of the World?
by sparkle-2oo3
Summary: *FINISHED* Things are heating up in the underworld where Cole is faced with a tough decision, what will he decide to do??
1. Chapter One: One Crazy Morning

A/N: This story takes place in my own little alternate Charmed reality. Cole is evil (not the Source, but still very evil), Piper, Paige, and Phoebe all live at the manor along with Leo. Leo and Paige are married (duh) but don't have kids. Paige remains husbandless though she continues to date. Phoebe also hasn't married but she does have a child (hmmm...)

Disclaimer: I DON'T own charmed, nor do I own Phoebe, Piper, Paige, Leo, or Cole. 

The alarm chimed annoyingly. Phoebe slammed its surface hard with her outstretched hand. She rolled over in a meager attempt to ignore the day but was interrupted by a knock at her bedroom door.

"Phoebe!" Yelled Piper from the other side of the door. "Phoebe, I'm coming in." Without waiting for a response, Piper entered the bedroom.

"What?" Phoebe said wearily, without turning over.

"Why are you so tired today? How late did you stay out?" Piper sat down on her sister's bed.

"I don't know, I maybe got in at like one." Said a groggy Phoebe.

"Ooh, good date?" Said Paige who overheard the conversation from the hallway and decided to join in.

"I guess. He was nice, no real sparks though." Phoebe sat up in the bed and rubbed her eyes.

"Nice hair sis." Said Paige to Phoebe while joining Piper and Phoebe on the bed. Phoebe only smirked.

"Why are you in here?" Asked Phoebe addressing both her sisters.

"I can't pick Parker up from school today, I have a meeting at P3." Piper said walking over to Phoebe's jewelry box and sifting through mounds of earrings.

"What meeting?" Asked Paige, still sitting on the bed.

"With a new DJ. Our old one quit so we have one day to find a new one."

"That's fine. I'll swing by the school after I finish my column." Phoebe pushed off her covers and rose to her feet. "Now, if you two will excuse me, I need to get dressed." Phoebe shooed Piper and Paige out of the room, and started getting ready for work.

"What do you want for breakfast?" Piper asked Parker.

"Toast and cereal sound fine. Do we have any good cereal?" Parker asked standing up and walking to the pantry. Parker was Phoebe's son, though raising him was often a group effort. With work, and demon fighting, raising a happy, healthy child grew increasingly difficult. Parker was, for the most part, a normal ten-year-old boy, apart from his magical heritage, and often-uncontrollable demonic powers. Parker was of average height and build for a child his age. His hair was a pleasant shade of auburn, much like Phoebe's was when she was younger. His eyes, however, were a piercing olive-green, like his father's. Parker knew nothing of his father or the source of his demonic powers, he never asked, and Phoebe never told.

"I think there are some Lucky Charms or something in there." Said Piper while extracting the toast from the toaster.

"Yeah I got it, we're almost out though." Parker poured the cereal in his bowl and devoured it rather quickly. Phoebe eventually emerged from her room and made her way to the crowded kitchen.

"Hey baby, you should go get dressed." Phoebe kissed Parker on the top of the head before he rushed up stairs to get dressed. "I need coffee." Said Phoebe once Parker had exited the kitchen.

"I just made some." Piper said handing Phoebe a cup. "Headache?"

"That would be an understatement." Phoebe said, chugging down the mug of coffee.

"What did you do last night?" Piper asked with one hand on her hip and the other on the counter.

"I don't even remember." Phoebe said, refilling her cup. A horn honked outside. "Parker, your carpool's here!" Shouted Phoebe up the stairs. Parker raced down the stairs but was stopped at the bottom by Phoebe. "I'm picking you up after school today, so be outside at three, okay?" Phoebe tightened Parker's tie and straightened out his school issued sweater.

"Okay, love you mom." He gave Phoebe a quick kiss, grabbed his bag, and rushed out the door. Phoebe watched him run outside to the silver Volvo and throw his bag into the trunk. Before he got in the car he waved briefly to Phoebe. She smiled, waved back, and closed the front door. When she walked back into the kitchen an unhappy looking Leo was standing next to Piper.

"Hey Leo, what's going on?" Asked Phoebe, taking yet another gulp of her coffee. "You look all flustered."

"We've got trouble." Leo said while helping himself to one of Parker's pieces of uneaten toast.

"Trouble?" Asked Paige, entering the kitchen after spending at least the last hour in front of the mirror.

"It's Cole." Said Leo.

"Of course, it's always Cole." Phoebe avoided eye contact with the others. She busied herself with Parker's breakfast dishes. "What is it this time?" Phoebe hated discussing Cole with her sisters. They were dead set against him while Phoebe, no matter how hard she tried to hate him, could not. She felt soft and vulnerable around him. She didn't still love him, but she definitely didn't hate him. He rarely appeared to the witches, he had stayed pretty much hidden for the past ten years, which was the best for all of them. He caused trouble occasionally, but for the most part he steered clear of the mortal world.

"He's here, in San Francisco." Said Leo, polishing off his piece of toast.

"Why?" Asked Paige, in her usual childlike voice.

"The Elders don't really know. They don't trust him though."

"We better brew up some potions, just in case." Piper said throwing a towel into the sink, "Like we didn't already have enough to do."

"Piper, I can handle the potions. Go to P3, meet with the new DJ, everything will be fine." Paige said. Piper looked at Paige, deciding what to do.

"Fine. Try to get it done today though, okay Paige." Piper said, obviously worrying about the lazy work ethic of her youngest sister.

"No problem." Said Paige, "I'll start now." Paige smiled perkily and headed to the attic.

"I'll talk with the Elders again later today to find out more information if I can." Said Leo. He gave Piper a brief kiss on the cheek and orbed out.

"What was that?" Asked Phoebe.

"What was what?" Asked Piper.

"That pathetic kiss. Usually you two are all over each other. You guys okay?" Questioned Phoebe, walking over to her sister.

"No. He's never home anymore, he's always off with his charges. When he is home he's like...like that. No passion, no surprise, just blah." Piper walked into the living room and slumped down on the couch.

"Have you talked to him?" Asked Phoebe, sitting down next to her sister.

"No, he always seems so stressed out, I don't want to add to that."

"Maybe you should. He needs to know how you feel."

"Yeah, maybe. Anyway," Said Piper shaking her head and turning to her sister, "we've got more important things to deal with now, like Cole."

"I do not want to talk about Cole. I have to get to work anyway." Phoebe rose from the couch and began putting on her jacket.

"He could be up to something big." Said Piper, also rising from the couch.

"Could be, but there's nothing we can do until we get more information or until he does something." Phoebe grabbed her purse and walked towards the door. "I'll be home around three thirty, we can talk about this more then."

"Okay. I've got to get to that meeting anyway." Piper and Phoebe prepared to leave when they heard a loud thump from the attic.

"It's nothing, don't worry about it!" Shouted Paige.

"Right." Said Piper as she and Phoebe headed out the door to work.

A/N: The action part of the story is coming, it really is just bear with me! Oh, and please review, reviews keep me writing!


	2. Chapter Two: And the Day Goes On

Disclaimer: Once again, I do not own charmed. Please don't sue me.

A/N: Okay so there isn't much action in this chapter either, but I promise, it's all building up to a crap load of action/adventure! :) And please do review, reviews will motivate me to update more frequently. Also, for those of you who worry, I promise this will not turn into a Cole bashing fic. I love Cole and am not going to make his character into some evil, heartless beast.

At three o'clock Parker slammed his locker closed and walked outside the school building to meet his mother. She was late, as he had expected. She was rarely on time for anything, especially after work. She always felt obliged to answer every letter submitted to her column, even if it meant staying at work for up to ten hours each day. Parker sat down on the stone steps leading into the building and took out a book. Parker was not like the other Halliwells. Besides being the only boy, he also shied away from his magical side. He longed to be like all the other kids his age, playing soccer and baseball, not working with potions and taming his fire starting abilities. Although he was the youngest in the house, Parker was by far the most powerful. He had the ability to start fires, both demonically and as a fire starter. Also, like his mother, he got premonitions, though not yet to the extent of Phoebes. He couldn't see much in his premonitions nor could he comprehend them. He could also levitate, no telling where that one came from. He only realized he could levitate a year ago when he jumped down the last two stairs at the manor and never landed. It seemed new powers were always appearing, it often worried Phoebe. She worried that if Parker became too powerful, Cole would come for him.

At three thirty, Phoebe pulled up to the now, nearly vacant school. Parker dropped his book back in his bag and rushed over to the car. He threw his bag in the back seat and got into the front seat next to Phoebe.

"Sorry I'm late baby, work was awful. I swear, everybody in this city wrote a letter to my column, I don't think I even got to half of them today." Phoebe put the car in drive and pulled away from the school rather quickly. She was eager to get home and see if there was any more news about Cole.

"That's okay, I didn't really expect you to be on time." Parker brushed a strand of hair out of his eyes and stared out the front window.

"I'm late that much?" Asked Phoebe glancing over at her son.

"You're busy, that's all. It's really no big deal mom." Parker reached over to the radio dials and turned on the radio.

When they got home both Piper and Paige were sitting in the living, waiting for Leo to return.

"Not back yet?" Asked Phoebe, walking into the house and closing the door behind both her and Parker.

"Nope." Said Paige.

"Who are you waiting for Aunt Paige?" Asked Parker, removing his jacket and throwing his bag on the living room floor.

"Uncle Leo." Answered Paige without lifting her gaze from the floor.

"Why?" Asked Parker sitting on a chair that was near the couch.

"Oh, just demon stuff." Answered Phoebe, "Why don't you go up and get your homework started."

"Okay." Said Parker warily before heading up the stairs.

"How long have you guys been waiting for Leo?" Asked Phoebe, joining the two on the couch once Parker had disappeared into his bedroom.

"I don't know, maybe an hour." Said Paige.

"I just got home a few minutes ago." Added Piper.

"Have you tried calling him?" Asked Phoebe.

"I did. He orbed in, said he would be back soon, and orbed out again." Said Paige. The three witches remained seated on the couch for twenty minutes until Leo finally orbed in.

"Where have you been?" Asked Paige, rising heatedly from her seat, "You said you would be right back."

"I had a couple charges to deal with." Leo said walking over to the sisters.

"Did you talk to the Elders?" Questioned Piper.

"Yeah, they don't have much more information but they have a few ideas."

"Like?" Asked Paige

"They say he might be after you or Parker." Leo looked over at Phoebe sympathetically.

"He's not after Parker, he doesn't even know about Parker." Said Phoebe defensively.

"What if he does Phoebe? Parker is getting more and more powerful every day, what if Cole tracked him?" Questioned Piper from the couch.

"He didn't. Cole is not after Parker, he's not. What are the Elders' other ideas Leo?" Phoebe was clearly irritated so Leo quickly dropped the subject and answered her question.

"Well, they've been sensing a growing demonic presence in the mortal world. The demons haven't taken action yet, so neither have the Elders, but they think Cole might be doing something with them." Leo finished talking and joined his wife on the couch.

"Okay, so what do they think we should do?" Asked Paige.

"They want you three to pay Cole a little visit, they say he's at the penthouse."

"Great." Said Phoebe as she exited the room. Phoebe walked over to the staircase and rested on the banister for a moment. She then walked up the stairs to Parker's room. "Hey babe." She said, still standing in the doorway.

"You okay mom? You look...different." Parker said looking up from his computer.

"I'm just a little...tired."

"That's a lie. Why don't you guys ever tell me anything?" Parker turned his chair around so that he was facing his mother.

"Because you are just a kid, you don't need to worry about demons and evil, and all that junk just yet."

"I see it all you know. I know all about demons and evil, and all that junk."

"I know you do baby, I just don't want you to grow up to fast, you know?" Phoebe walked into the room and sat on Parkers bed. The quilt that was draped across the bed was badly disheveled; Parker obviously hadn't made his bed that morning.

"You mean you don't want me to get totally involved in all that witch stuff until I have to."

"Precisely." At times Parker was unusually perceptive for a ten-year-old boy. 

"You don't have to worry so much mom, everything will work out in the end."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, it always does." Parker smiled sweetly at Phoebe then turned back to face his computer screen. Phoebe walked over to Parker, kissed the top of his head, and headed back downstairs. When she reached the bottom of the staircase she heard Leo and Piper bickering about Cole.

"We can't make her go over there Leo, that's crazy." Piper fiercely whispered. 

"You all need to go, you'll need the power of three just in case he tries something." Leo urged back.

"Well the Elders will just have to come up with another plan because I'm not putting her through that." Phoebe took a breath and walked into the living room.

"It's okay Piper, I'll go. Saving the world is a little more important than my issues with my ex-husband." Said Phoebe reluctantly. Paige walked over to Phoebe and put her arm around her.

"We'll be there too, it's not like you'll be all alone or anything." Paige said cheerfully. Phoebe smiled, though what she felt inside was much less than happiness. She dreaded seeing Cole, and what if the elders were right? What if he knew about Parker? Phoebe wasn't about to lose her son to evil; she had fought to hard to keep him good. Every day was a struggle against Parkers demon side. His demonic powers often seemed to overpower his witch ones, which cause Phoebe severe amounts of worry and grief. Phoebe knew Parker wasn't evil, but she could sense in him a great capacity for it. 


	3. Chapter Three: Off To See the Demon

Disclaimer: I don't own Charmed!

A/N: This chapter was a little short so I decided to post it with chapter four. Enjoy and please review!!

The next morning Phoebe awoke early. She wandered into the kitchen and blindly put on a pot of coffee. She was up before either of her sisters, which she was glad for. She didn't want to talk about Cole, not yet. She dreaded the day, for today was the day the Charmed ones were supposed to go visit Cole. Phoebe poured herself a cup of coffee and headed into the living room. She took a seat on the couch and flipped on the TV. She sat there for a while, staring at the TV, not really listening to it, but watching it just the same. Parker was the next one up. He was surprised to see his mother awake, in the living room. She was usually the last one up. Parker entered the living room wearily and took a seat next to Phoebe on the couch. His pajamas were crumpled up from sleep and his auburn hair was matted to his head.

"Hey baby. Morning." Phoebe said pulling Parker into a hug.

"You're up early." Said Parker.

"Yeah, couldn't really sleep."

"Are you okay?" Parker looked up at his mother, his face riddled with concern.

"Yeah, kinda. We've gotta go talk to this demon today and I'm not uh...not to thrilled about it." Phoebe said, playing with Parkers hair.

"Why are you going?" Asked Parker, leaning against his mother comfortably.

"I have to."

"Leo told you to?"

"Yeah. Don't worry about it though baby, it'll be fine. I'm sure he's not dangerous." Phoebe tousled Parker's hair and rose from the couch. "Now, what do you want for breakfast?" Phoebe turned towards the kitchen and was followed closely by Parker.

After breakfast, Paige, Piper, and Phoebe prepared to leave for Cole's. Because it was Saturday, neither Piper nor Phoebe had to worry about missing work.

"Don't forget the potions." Cautioned Leo who was to watch Parker while the witches were gone.

"I've got em' Leo. You need to stop worrying so much." Paige said as she threw on her jacket.

"I'm being cautious, not worrisome." Said Leo defensively.

"Don't worry honey, nobody thinks you're worrisome." Cooed Piper before kissing Leo sweetly in the lips.

"And Leo, if you have to orb out, take Parker. I don't want him here alone with Cole in town." Whispered Phoebe so Parker wouldn't hear.

"Okay." Said Leo quietly.

"Baby we're leaving!" Shouted Phoebe to Parker who was watching cartoons in the living room. When Parker heard his mom call, he immediately rose from his seat to bid her farewell at the door.

"Good luck mom, you too Aunt Piper and Aunt Paige." Parker said while hugging his mom goodbye.

"Thanks kiddo." Said Paige ruffling his still messy hair. Once the goodbyes were said, Phoebe, Paige, and Piper were off to see Cole, whom they hadn't had contact with for at least eight years.


	4. Chapter Four: Hello Darling

Disclaimer: I don't own Charmed so please don't sue me.

When they reached his building Phoebe stopped before reaching the door, she needed to collect herself before seeing him again. Paige and Piper continued in before noticing their sister's sudden halt.

"You okay Pheebs?" Questioned Paige.

"Yeah, I just needed a second." Phoebe pulled herself together and continued into the building. The elevator ride up to the penthouse seemed to go on for hours. Phoebe hated it, she dreaded seeing him, but at the same time she was excited.

"It won't be so bad Pheebs," Said Piper, putting her hand on her sister's shoulder, "He's not going to try anything now. That would be stupid and Cole is anything but stupid."

"I know." Said Phoebe quickly. That's not what she was worried about. She was worried about how she would react when Cole answered that door. Would her old feelings for him take control? She was desperately afraid of loving him again. Once the elevator door opened they were in the penthouse. The walked into the living room rather slowly, waiting for Cole to emerge, but no sounds came from any part of the penthouse. "It looks just like it used to." Mused Phoebe while walking around the living room, no answer came from either of her sisters. They explored the penthouse to find it empty, Cole clearly wasn't home.

"Maybe we should look around." Suggested Paige. The comment, however, was useless since both Phoebe and Piper were already sifting through drawers and cabinets. After about five minutes of sleuthing, the three came up empty handed.

"The place is pretty bare." Said Piper, joining her sisters in the living room.

"What, you don't like my decorating techniques?" None of them had heard Cole come in. They all turned around to face him rather dramatically. "Can I help you find something?" He asked while looking at Phoebe, and Phoebe alone.

"What are you doing here Cole?" Asked Paige rudely. Cole turned from Phoebe to face Paige.

"I live here." He answered smoothly.

"What are you doing in San Francisco?" Paige asked, revising her original statement.

"Missed the old place." He said running his hand over a table as he walked closer to the witches.

"Bullshit!" Shouted Paige harshly.

"What's the real reason Cole?" Asked Phoebe, finally getting up the nerve to talk to him. Cole turned to her and just looked at her for a moment, the silence was killing her.

"Business." He stated frankly.

"And what business would that be?" Asked Piper. Cole continued to watch Phoebe who was fidgeting uncomfortably.

"Not yours." Cole replied. He looked away from Phoebe and glanced at the bag in Paige's hand. "Potions? Are you going to vanquish me?" Cole questioned.

"Only if you make us." Phoebe replied.

"You couldn't." Cole scoffed, "I'm too powerful for even you."

"I swear to God Cole, if you cause any trouble here I will kill you myself." Said Phoebe, letting her feelings get the better of her.

"No, you wouldn't Phoebe."

"Try me Cole." Cole smiled at her. 

"It was good to see you again." He smiled again then disappeared.

"Well that was fun." Said Paige sarcastically, "We don't know anymore than when we came here."

"Yes we do. We know that he is definitely up to something, something big." Said Phoebe, pressing the elevator button.

"How do we know that?" Asked Piper

"Just a feeling. He wouldn't come here unless it was important, and I bet he is doing something with those other demons, I know he is." Phoebe said as she and her sisters walked onto the elevator.

"I just wish we knew what." Added Piper as the elevator doors closed.


	5. Chapter Five: Dinner and a Premonition

Disclaimer: I don't own Charmed

At home they told Leo all the information they had extracted from Cole, though it wasn't much it seemed to help the Elders, who were now sure that Cole and the gathering group of demons were in cahoots. A few uneventful days passed. The witches searched the Book of Shadows for any information as to what Cole might be up to, but found none. They soon realized that in order to figure out what was going on, they were going to need more information. On Monday night the Halliwell family sat down for dinner. They ate in silence for a while; everybody had different things on their minds.

"I got an A on my math test." Said Parker in a meager attempt to break the silence.

"That's great sweetie." Said Phoebe with no real emotion in her voice. In a corner of the room, Leo orbed in.

"Did I miss dinner?" He asked cheerfully.

"Half of it." Said Piper irritably as she rose from the table and headed into the kitchen for more potatoes.

"Are you okay honey?" Asked Leo following her into the kitchen.

"No Leo I'm not okay." She practically slammed her plate on the counter.

"Um, what's wrong?" Asked Leo cautiously.

"Dinner is wrong, you missed dinner, you always miss dinner."

"I was with--" Piper cut him off.

"A charge? You're always with a charge Leo. I never see you anymore and when I do, it's all business. It's demon this and demon that. We never talk about us anymore, we never kiss anymore, we don't act like a married couple anymore. You treat me the same way you treat Phoebe and Paige." Piper hastily filled her plate with potatoes and walked back into the dining room.

"I'm sorry, I've just been busy lately. It's been a rough couple of months; there's been a lot more chaos out there than usual. I can't control that Piper, it's my job."

"What about your family. You have to find a balance Leo, I--" Their argument was interrupted by Phoebe's sudden spasm. She was obviously caught in a very deep premonition. After a few minutes she awoke to find herself on the living room couch. Parker was standing over her.

"She's awake!" He shouted happily, "Mom are you okay?" Phoebe sat up and looked around the room trying to regain her bearings. She remained silent for a moment, remembering her premonition, how real it had felt.

"Honey what happened? What did you see?" Asked Piper who sat down and placed a caring arm over her sister's shoulders.

"It was awful." Said Phoebe staring at the floor. "It was this month, but not like it is now. The demons, they were taking over the world. Everything was getting destroyed, all the good was being demolished. We were...we were trapped, we couldn't stop it."

"And Cole?" Interrupted Paige, not thinking about Parker who was listening intently to the entire conversation.

"He was there, he was leading all of them." Phoebe looked up at Parker, "Baby will you go get me some Tylenol?" Parker nodded and headed upstairs to the medicine cabinet.

"I've got to go tell the Elders." Said Leo, preparing to orb out.

"Wait, there was more." Interjected Phoebe, "Parker, he was there too. Cole had him, he knew who he was. He was using him to take over the world. It was the end of the world, the end of the mortal world." From outside the living room Parker heard everything Phoebe had just said. He wanted to know who Cole was and why Cole wanted him, but he thought it probably wouldn't be the best time to ask. He walked into the living room,

"Here's your medicine mom. Are you okay?" Parker asked, handing her the bottle of Tylenol.

"Yeah, I'm fine baby, thanks." She stood up from the couch and walked into the kitchen to get a glass of water. Before anyone else could leave the room, Leo had orbed out.

"So much for our talk." Mumbled Piper to herself. She, Paige, and Parker soon joined Phoebe in the kitchen. Phoebe had chugged a glass of water and taken two caplets.

"What are we going to do?" Asked Phoebe once her sisters had fully entered the kitchen.

"How long do we have?" Asked Piper.

"It must have already begun, my premonition will be real in maybe three weeks." Said Phoebe while rubbing her temples. "Hey Parker, why don't you go get ready for bed, you've got school tomorrow."

"I still have to go to school?" Questioned Parker.

"Of course, at least for this week." Phoebe said kissing his head and shooing him upstairs.

"You're still going to let him go to school, even with Cole out there?" Asked Piper with concern.

"I don't want him to worry, not yet at least. He's safe at school, safer than he is here." Phoebe said placing her cup gently in the dishwasher. "I'd better call and get off work tomorrow." She added calmly.

A/N: I hope you liked it! Please take the time to review, any comments you have would be great.


	6. Chapter Six: Unexpected Visitor

Disclaimer: I do not own Charmed!

A/N: Thank you so much for all of those who have taken the time to review, I really appreciate it. Your reviews really do keep me writing! I've got the rest of the story pretty much planned out; I just have to write it all down! I also promise to continue updating on a regular basis, bye!

The next day after Parker was safe at school the Charmed ones set to work. They made potions and searched the Book of Shadows endlessly for some clue about the worlds coming demise.

"This is going to take forever." Whined Paige.

"It better not, we don't have forever." Commented Piper while flipping through pages in the Book of Shadows.

"Have you found anything?" Asked Phoebe

"Not yet." Said Piper hopelessly. At around noon Paige and Piper headed into the kitchen for food, Phoebe, however, remained in the attic, searching the Book of Shadows. Her eyes drooped wearily until a title caught her eye: _The End?_ There was a large picture in the center of the page of a child, a boy, holding the world in his hands. Pillars of fire surrounded both the boy and the globe. There was small print below the picture, which Phoebe could barely make out. It read: _The day will come when all will die, or will it all remain? A child holds the key to all salvation or to the world's total demise._ Phoebe grabbed the book, stood up, and turned around sharply to find herself face to face with Cole.

"Hello Phoebe," He said calmly, "find anything interesting in the ol' Book of Shadows." Phoebe tried to leave the room but was blocked by Cole.

"Cole just leave. I know what you're planning--"

"I know you do, that's why I'm here." He leaned in closer to her and grabbed her arm softly.

"Let it go Phoebe, there is no way to stop the end from coming. You're only going to end up getting hurt." He whispered, leaning in very close to her ear.

"Go to hell Cole and get out of my house. I'm not going to let you destroy the world for your own personal gain." Phoebe tried again to push past him but he was too strong. Cole forced her to drop the book then grabbed her other arm and pushed her against a wall.

"Listen to me Phoebe. You _will_ die if you continue trying to stop this. It is inevitable."

"Get out of here Cole, don't make us vanquish you just yet." Phoebe was trembling inside, she hated seeing Cole, being so close to him, it frightened her. Cole released his grasp and walked leisurely around the attic.

"The manor looks the same. It's been ten years and you haven't redecorated." Cole mused.

"Well your place wasn't exactly a catalog house." Phoebe said edging her way towards the door.

"Did Piper and Leo have a kid?" Asked Cole as he turned towards Phoebe. Phoebe's heart stopped. He knows about Parker, she thought, he's toying with me but he knows.

"Why?" Asked Phoebe cautiously, being careful not to give away too much information.

"The room on the second floor, it looked like a child's room." Cole walked closer to Phoebe who instinctively backed away.

"Leave Cole, just leave." She said getting ever closer to the door.

"Is it your child? Paige's child?"

"Piper! Paige!" Phoebe shouted, "Get up here now!" She could hear her sisters rushing up the stairs.

"I'll see you around Phoebe." Said Cole before he disappeared. Soon after, Piper and Paige emerged from the stairwell.

"What's going on?" Asked Paige as she rushed into the attic.

"Cole was here, I think he knows about Parker." Phoebe said while gathering the Book of Shadows from the floor.

"He knows Parker is his son?" Asked Piper.

"I don't know, he knows there is a Parker though, and that's not a good thing." Phoebe calmed herself down and showed her sisters the page she had found in the Book.

"Okay, so it's happening, the world is ending." Paige said standing from her spot on the floor and walking over to the small circular window.

"No, not necessarily. Do you think the child the book talks about is Parker?" Asked Phoebe running her fingers over the black and white drawing of the child in the book.

"It could be. Maybe you should go pick him up from school." Said Piper, looking at her sister whose face was riddled with worry. Phoebe jumped up from the floor and headed off to pick up her son from school.


	7. Chapter Seven: Whose Child is This?

Disclaimer: I don't own Charmed (but I wish I did).

A/N: Sorry this chapter is so short; chapter eight is pretty long though. Thank you for all the great reviews, they are really encouraging!

Cole returned to the penthouse with a question plaguing his mind, who at the manor had a child? The logical answer would be Piper and Leo, but Cole didn't feel satisfied with that solution. Why had Phoebe gotten so upset when he had mentioned the child? Maybe it was Phoebe's kid. Cole decided to summon Finlay, a good tracking demon. Cole figured he would use the demon to search the witches' lives and figure out which Halliwell had a kid. Cole poured himself a glass of brandy and waited for Finlay to arrive whilst sitting in a large, brown leather chair. After nearly twenty minutes the demon arrived, engulfed in a cloud of fire.

"I've been waiting for you for some time Finlay." Cole said, rising from the chair.

"Sorry sir, I was busy gathering information on the witches." Finlay said, pulling a wad of papers out of bag he was carrying.

"The Charmed ones?" Asked Cole surprised.

"Yes sir, those are the ones you wanted to know about?"

"How did you know, we haven't talked." Cole set his glass down and approached Finlay warily.

"It's my job sir." Cole eyed the demon for a moment, deciding whether or not to trust him. He finally gave in to his curiosity.

"What did you find out about the child?" Cole asked, studying a piece of paper he had grabbed from the demon.

"His name is Parker, Parker Conley Halliwell. He attends St. Francis Elementary school and is ten-years-old. He--"

"Whose kid is he?" Cole asked impatiently.

"I...I don't know sir. The witches--"

"Isn't it your job to know?" Cole said sternly, walking closer to Finlay who was backing away in fear.

"Yes sir, but the witches, they must have known you were tracking the kid. They pulled him out of school and his records, they just disappeared." Finlay had backed into the elevator door, Cole, however, had stopped advancing on him and stood still for a moment with a puzzled look on his face.

"Why would they do that? Why go to all that trouble for an innocent child?" Cole asked rhetorically.

"Maybe he isn't innocent." Cole was snapped out of his trance, and his eyes focused, once again, on Finlay.

"Not innocent? Well then what is he?"

"Maybe the boy is important. Maybe he is more powerful than we have been led to believe. Maybe the witches are trying to protect him from the evil that may want to destroy him." Finlay seemed to relax a little as Cole eased up.

"Maybe..." Cole said training off, "Find out and get back to me. I want to know everything about this kid by tomorrow." Finlay nodded and disappeared in the same manner as he had emerged. Cole refilled his glass with brandy and sunk back down into the leather chair. He thought about the child and examined a picture of the boy that Finlay had left. What if it was Phoebe's child? He wondered. Who would the father be? 


	8. Chapter Eight: Parker Wyatt

Disclaimer: I DON'T own Charmed!

A/N: Please review! I want to know what you think of the story!

Back at the manor Phoebe, Piper, and Paige were trying to figure out some way to stop the worlds coming demise. Piper and Phoebe were in the attic milling through the Book of Shadows trying to find anything else related to the page they found earlier. Paige had settled herself in the kitchen with enough supplies to make a closet full of potions, though she was a little unsure of what potions to make. All three of them were eager for Leo to return. He had gone to meet with the Elders after the sisters told him about the page they found in the Book of Shadows. He had been gone for a full day now; all three of the witches were thoroughly worried about what was going on up there.

"Seriously, what could be taking this long?" Asked Piper while pacing around the attic.

"Well there is a lot to talk about. This whole thing is kind of a big deal Piper." Said Phoebe irritably.

"You okay Pheebs?" Asked Piper, sensing her sister's discontentment.

"I'm just upset about Cole that's all." Said Phoebe, not looking up from the book.

"There's nothing you can do about it just yet Pheebs, you've just--"  
"That's the problem Piper, there's nothing I can do. He's going to destroy the world and I can't do a thing to stop him." Phoebe shut the book and rubbed her eyes wearily. "I need some food. I'm going down to the kitchen." She headed for the door then turned around to face Piper. "Maybe you should come to, the last time one of us was alone in the attic..." She didn't want to mention Cole again; quiet frankly she was sick of Cole. She was sick of talking about him but more importantly, she was sick of thinking about him. She didn't like having to worry about what he was up to or what he was planning. She just wanted everything to go back to normal. She wanted to go back to missing Cole secretly rather than despising him publicly.

"Good idea, I could use some lunch too." Piper turned out the light in the attic and followed her younger sister down into the kitchen.

"Hey mom, do you want a sandwich?" Asked Parker cheerfully as he dug a knife into a nearly empty jar of peanut butter.

"Sounds great sweetie, thanks." Phoebe walked over to Parker and ruffled his hair. "How's it going Paige?" She added directing her attention to Paige who was standing over the oven looking very perturbed. 

"It would be going well except I have no idea what I'm doing." Paige said, throwing a wooden spoon into the large metal pot in front of her. "There are hundreds of different kinds of demons out there, I can't possible make enough vanquishing potions for all of them."

"Just do the best you can honey." Said Piper, rubbing Paige's back sympathetically.

"It's just so frustrating. I feel helpless." Paige said as she walked with Piper into the living room.

"We all feel that way sweetie." Piper said softly. Their brief conversation was interrupted by Leo who had just orbed into the kitchen.

"Finally. What took so long?" Asked Phoebe taking a bite of her sandwich.

"We have to talk now. Where are Piper and Paige?" Leo was obviously a bit frazzled.

"We're right here. Leo what's up?" Said Paige as she and Piper emerged from the living room.

"Parker why don't you go upstairs for a minute." Said Leo placing his hand on Parkers head.

"Why do I always have to leave?" He asked, rising from his seat.

"Because we need you to guard the second floor from demons." Phoebe said kissing the top of Parker's head. Parker reluctantly exited the kitchen and headed to his bedroom.

"So Leo what's up?" Asked Paige once Parker was clearly out of the room.

"Well, basically everything that Phoebe already said. Unless you stop it, the mortal world will end." Leo said taking a seat in one of the kitchens wooden chairs.

"So how do we stop it?" Asked Piper

"You don't, Parker does."

"Parker? So he is the one in the Book of Shadows." Said Phoebe with a hint of disappointment in her voice.

"There's more. Cole, he knows about Parker," Leo looked up at the clock on the wall, "he must know everything about now."

"He knows Parker is his son?" Phoebe said, clearly panicked.

"No, that's the only thing he doesn't know. The Elders think it best if Piper and I pretend he's our son, just to throw Cole off for a while." Said Leo taking a bite of Parker's unfinished sandwich.

"Does he know that Parker is the child in the book?" Asked Paige.

"Yep. We'll have to keep a close eye on Parker from now on. I'm sure Cole and other power hungry demons will try to get their hands on him."

"Parker, come down here please!" Shouted Phoebe as she rubbed her forehead.

"Phoebe, relax a little. We aren't going to let anything happen to him." Leo said, standing up and resting a sympathetic hand on Phoebe's shoulder. Phoebe shrugged Leo's hand off of her and shouted for Parker once again.

"Parker, get down here now!" Phoebe rested her arms on the counted and breathed heavily. "If anything happens to him--"

"Nothing will happen to him. We're all looking after him and the Elders are looking after him. He's perfectly safe." Said Leo.

"Mom are you okay?" Asked Parker rounding a corner and entering the kitchen.

"Yeah baby I'm...I'm fine." Phoebe walked over to her son and drew him up into a hug. "We've got to talk to you baby."

"What is it?" Asked Parker, separating himself from his mom. 

"We need you to pretend, just for a while, to be mine and Leo's son." Piper said.

"So I'd be Parker Wyatt?" Parker asked looking at his mom, confused.

"Yeah, just for a while." Leo added.

"Why?" Asked Parker, directing his question to Leo. No one answered for a while until Phoebe decided to let Parker in on what was happening. After she told him everything, excluding the bits about Cole being his father, he seemed surprisingly calm. Once things in the manor had calmed a bit and the initial shock of Leo's news wore off, Paige returned to making potions, and Piper, Phoebe, and Parker headed up to the attic to help Parker obtain better control over his powers. 


	9. Chapter Nine: Taken

Disclaimer: I DON'T own Charmed!

A/N: Thank you for all the great reviews, keep em' commin'!

That night the witches and their families settled down early that night. The whole day had sufficiently worn them out. Upstairs, Phoebe was busy getting Parker ready for bed, she had barely left his side since Leo had delivered his news earlier that day.

"Phoebe, I can handle brushing my teeth by myself." Parker said, heading into the bathroom with Phoebe close behind.

"Since when do you call me Phoebe?" She asked tickling his stomach.

"Oh, you're right, I should call you aunt Phoebe." Parker smiled and loaded his toothbrush with toothpaste.

"I'm glad to know you're taking this whole thing seriously." Phoebe said sarcastically as she too dabbed a bit of mint toothpaste onto her brush.

"I am taking this seriously, very seriously." Parker said with his mouth full of toothpaste. "It's just all happened so fast, it's a little strange you know?"

"I know, it's probably a bit much to take in." Phoebe said spitting into the sink.

"Yeah, but I can handle it. Besides I've got you and Aunt Paige and mom and dad." Parker grinned widely, exposing his toothpaste-covered teeth.

"Spit smart ass." Phoebe said tousling his hair playfully.

"Phoebe!" Paige shouted from kitchen, "I need help!"

"You better go, she might blow something up." Parker said grinning. Phoebe smiled, kissed Parker on the head, and headed to the kitchen to see what was going on. Parker finished brushing his teeth and went into his room to finish getting ready for bed. When he approached his room he noticed that the door was closed, he didn't remember closing it but in all the chaos of the day, he very well might have. He opened the door and flipped on the light. He was taken aback by a man in a black suit, sitting on his bed, throwing a baseball up and down into the air.

"Hello Parker, my name's Cole, nice to finally meet you." Cole stood up and walked around the room, gliding his fingers over various objects.

"You better leave or I'll call my mom." Parker backed up but bumped into another tall figure dressed also in black.

"I don't really think your mom can stop me kiddo." Cole said walking leisurely over to Parker.

"MOM!" Parker shouted frantically. Without thinking he shot a fireball at Cole who disintegrated it before it reached him.

"Impressive, did mommy teach you that?" Before Parker could react again, Piper, Paige, and Phoebe had appeared in the doorway, knocking down the large demon that had previously blocked Parker's way.

"Cole, get the hell out of here." Phoebe said, placing a comforting hand on Parker's shoulder and pulling him into her. Parker, remembering his role as Piper's son, edged his way over to his "mom".

"I'll be leaving in a minute Phoebe, once I get what I came for." Cole glanced over at Parker menacingly. Piper instinctively tried to freeze Cole, but he seemed to be immune. "I told you, you can't stop me." Cole quickly manufactured a blue energy orb in his hand and tossed it towards the witches who were instantly trapped in an invisible jail of sorts. Paige tried to orb out but all of her attempts proved futile. "I'll just be going now." Said Cole calmly as he reached into the unseen box and pulled Parker out by his collar.

"Mom!" Shouted Parker who was squirming helplessly in Cole's strong grasp. Without thinking, Phoebe answered her son's desperate call.

"I'm trying baby." She mumbled as she tested various areas on the box for weakness.

"Wait, I'm confused. I though little Parker here was Piper's child. Is he yours Phoebe?" Cole said as he walked closer to the trapped witches, with Parker in his arms.

"Go to hell Cole." Phoebe said, driven by rage. As she watched Cole hold her struggling child she wanted nothing more than to turn him into a pile of ash.

"Hmm, well you all fooled me." Commented Cole, shrugging his shoulders casually. Another demon then appeared behind Cole whom Parker was handed over to.

"Mom, help!" Shouted Parker, before disappearing with the unknown demon. Cole walked over to Phoebe who was busy kicking and clawing at the walls of her prison.

"Don't worry Pheebs, I promise I'll make it quick." Cole shimmered out before Phoebe could react. She felt her stomach drop and her heart break. She wanted her baby boy back, away from Cole, away from all those heartless demons.

"How the hell are we going to get out of here?" Asked Paige as she feverishly tried to orb out.

"We've just got to calm down and think this out." Said Piper placing a hand on the nonexistent wall.

"I can't calm down Piper, not until Parker is back in this house." Phoebe said, placing her hands on her head feebly. As if hearing their cries of helplessness, Leo orbed in.

"What's going on?" Leo asked with an eyebrow raised, as he watched them scratch at the air.

"Get us out of here Leo!" Said Paige as she once again tried to orb.

"Out of where?" He asked, walking around the encased witched.

"Cole put this invisible box around us. He took Parker. God Leo, hurry!" Phoebe remarked anxiously.

"Okay, just give me a second." Leo walked around the box a second time, assessing the situation. Without saying anything, Leo orbed into the box and one by one, took the witches out.

"Why could you do that?" Asked a frustrated Paige.

"I don't know, maybe I could get you out because I'm full white lighter. The box just wasn't that secure." Leo said, shrugging his shoulders.

"He wants us out." Phoebe mumbled softly, "He wants us to follow him."

"Why would he want that?" Inquired Piper softly.

"I don't know." Whispered Phoebe, "I don't care though, I'm going to get my kid." Without waiting for her sisters she headed downstairs to gather potions. Within twenty minutes, the witches had put together various protection and vanquishing potions, and were on their way to the underworld to rescue Parker. 


	10. Chapter Ten: Cole, Please!

Disclaimer: I don't own charmed!

A/N: Unfortunately this story is just about over. I really did have a lot of fun writing it and I hope you all had fun reading it. This chapter has a HORRIBLE cliffhanger ending, I'm so sorry. I don't mean to be evil but it was just too tempting! I promise I will post Chapter Eleven very soon; I don't want to keep you in suspense too long. Oh and one more thing, thank you to all of you who have reviewed. For those who have not, it just takes a second and it means a LOT to me. I accept anonymous reviews, so please, REVIEW! I really want to know what everybody thinks, especially after this chapter. I'll let you read now, enjoy!

Parker was drug into the underworld and pushed roughly into a stone jail cell. He sat himself down in a corner and pulled his arms around his legs. He wanted his mom, his aunts, his uncle, anybody familiar. After some time of sulking on the cold, rocky floor, Parker rose and examined his surrounding. He tried numerous times to escape using his powers, but after many failed attempts, came to the conclusion that escape would be impossible. Every power he tried, failed miserably. Eventually Cole returned to the underworld. Parker watched him talk to various demons and assemble an assortment of important looking objects, though Parker for the life of him could not tell what they were for. So he sat, for a while longer, in his miserable little cell waiting for something, anything, to happen. Parker must have fallen asleep because when he opened his eyes again he was no longer in the dingy little room, but instead in a large, open arena surrounded by odd and ordinary looking demons. He was on a raised platform, from what he could tell, and in yet another metal cage. He stood up and walked around a bit trying to get his bearings. The more he moved, however, the more the demons around him rustled and spoke, which made Parker nervous so he eventually returned to the floor.

"Hello Parker, how are you feeling?" Asked Cole who had suddenly appeared next to Parker's cage.

"Why am I here?" Parker asked, rising shakily to his feet.

"It's complicated kiddo." Said Cole, resting one arm on the metal bars encasing Parker. "We're trying to achieve something and you pose a sort of threat." Cole spoke calmly as he moved his free hand around the room, gesturing to all the other demons that had gathered. "You're quite famous Parker, I'm sure your mom told you that. Unfortunately, down here, your famous in a more negative way than a positive one."

"Are you going to kill me?" Parker asked walking steadily over to Cole. The more Cole spoke to him, the more at ease he felt, though he didn't yet understand why.

"I'm not," Answered Cole, "he is." He added, pointing to the same large, nameless demon that had forced Parker into the underworld.

"My mom will be here." Parker said, gathering courage.

"I'm counting on it." Cole said cockily, winking cheerfully at Parker before heading over to another demon.

"She'll kill you!" Parker yelled, gripping the metal bars angrily. Cole turned around to face Parker once again. He traced his steps back over to the cage, until he was just inches from Parker's face.

"She'll try, but she'll fail." He said in a hushed whisper. "Now be a good boy and behave yourself, we'll start in just a bit." Cole reached his hand into the cage and tried to ruffle Parker's hair, but Parker backed away, his face twisted with disgust, and a little worry. Parker sat in his cell miserably until Cole ordered the demons to settle down. The demons immediately stopped moving, talking, and fighting, and stood intently waiting for something to happen. Rather than addressing the group himself, Cole had the demon who had brought Parker to the underworld speak to the ill-mannered crowd. He spoke of a new age for demons, one where they would be free to act in their natural state without fear of witches and the Elders. He spoke of the planned destruction of the mortal world and the coming deaths of the Charmed ones. When the demon began ranting about the Charmed ones the hoards of demons booed and shouted. Parker stood up defensively but soon sat back down; his courage was clearly weakened by the frightening mob. Eventually the tall demon stopped talking, the crowd grew increasingly rowdy and looked more and more excited as time wore on. The tall demon then resumed talking whilst pointing at Parker, who was huddled in a corner, trying to escape the gaze of the hundreds of gathered demons.

"We all know what is coming," He said as he walked closer to the cell, "and what could get in our way." He pointed directly to Parker now who had buried his head in his folded arms. "The time is now to perform our sacrificial ritual and ensure our success." With that all chaos broke loose in the underworld. Demons were shouting and tackling one another in excitement and anticipation. Parker never imagined that his death would thrill so many. The tall demon walked over to a large book and began reading in a language Parker did not recognize or understand. Suddenly, adjacent from Parker's cage, Leo, Piper, Phoebe, and Paige orbed in. Parker stood up and breathed a heavy sigh of relief. Cole rose from his chair and winked at Parker, as if the two shared a secret joke. Parker knew what the wink for, Cole intended to kill his family, but Parker wasn't about to let that happen.

"Mom, he's going to kill you. You have to leave!" Parker shouted frantically whilst clamoring about in his cage. 

"Don't worry baby, we're going to take care of this." Phoebe said while staring, unwaveringly at Cole.

"No mom you don't understand, he knew you were coming, he planned the whole thing." Parker pleaded. Without answering her son, Phoebe joined hands with her sisters and recited an incantation designed to protect the witches from any demonic powers. "Mom it won't work." He implored once again. Phoebe ignored her son's warnings and continued with the spell. Cole smirked cockily as the witches spoke and sauntered towards them casually. Meanwhile, Leo was anxiously trying to orb or break into the cage that surrounded Parker. "Uncle Leo, you've got to help them, he's going to kill them, he told me."

"They're powerful witches Parker and they've got powerful magic behind them, they'll be fine. Is there any way into this cage?" Leo said as he seized the metal bars and tried to pry them apart. He gave into physical strength only after his many attempts at orbing had failed. Unlike the last cage Cole had manufactured, this one was impenetrable. Parker watched helplessly as Cole fired another of his energy balls at the witches, who stood still, expecting their protection spell to work. The spell, however, failed as Parker had predicted. The witches were once again trapped in an invisible box. The tall demon that had previously been reading in the unknown language summoned a dark lighter from the crown and ordered him to dispose of Leo.

"Leo go to the elders, tell them what happened. We need help." Piper said rapidly. Leo orbed out quickly before the dark lighter could attack.

"Finish it." Cole said to the tall demon that, upon instruction, resumed reading the large book. Cole waltzed over to the invisible wall and stopped just in front of Phoebe. "I told you I would win. I warned you to stay away; you just had to get involved. I'm sorry, I really am." Cole looked at Phoebe for a second more, taking in all her features at once, before turning back to the group of impatient demons. Phoebe was shaking all over. She glanced over at her son, trapped in that horrible metal cage. Her stomach churned when she thought about what she knew she had to do.

"He's your son Cole." She whispered, her voice quavering. Cole turned to face her immediately. "You always wanted children, what are you going to do now that you have one?" Cole's face contorted with confusion.

"What are you doing Phoebe. I thought we agreed a long time ago not to tell him." Piper urged. Phoebe didn't reply. Telling Cole the truth was her last attempt and only chance to save her son. Cole stood eerily still and stared blankly at the crown of demons, all rooting for his child's death.

"Cole, think about what your doing." Phoebe begged. "What's more important?" Cole remained motionless. He remembered the brief period Phoebe and he were together. Once they were married they spoke of having children. The idea excited Cole, he had always wanted a big house, full of the noise of children, happily running around their spacious lot. Cole focused once more on the group of demons who were watching the ritual, eagerly and full of anticipation. He quickly discarded his human feelings. The life he once had was gone; he was a demon now and had a demon family (of sorts) to take care of. The demon that had been reading had stopped and was watching Cole for guidance. "Continue." Cole finally said, averting his eyes from Phoebe's heartbroken gaze.

"Cole, please!"  



	11. Chapter Eleven: Much Ado About Demons

Disclaimer: I don't own Charmed, yada yada yada.

A/N: This chapter is a tad on the long side. I just couldn't stop writing! Anyway, I hope you enjoy it and like always, please review! Oh and the next chapter is going to be the last :( But I may do a sequel.

Cole turned back to Phoebe and then to Parker who was nervously glancing around the room.

"Please Cole, just call it off." Phoebe begged.

"I can't just call it off Phoebe." Cole scoffed, facing Phoebe once again. The two watched each other for a moment, not quite sure where to go next. Just then, the demon that had previously been reading had finished. He closed the book and approached Cole, obviously eager for the rituals continuation.

"Sir, we are ready to continue." He said solemnly, masking his true anticipation. Cole remained silent for a moment. He bit his bottom lip nervously then spoke:

"Do it." He said, following the demon to the front of Parker's cage.

"Cole!" Phoebe shouted frantically, "You can't do this, please!" Cole ignored her pleas and stood next to his demon counterpart, breathing nervously. The other demon began speaking another unknown language. Parker instinctively backed up against the wall farthest from Cole and the other demon. Phoebe hid her face on Piper's shoulders while Paige was busy trying to orb and call any object she could to her, but nothing was working.

"Dammit Cole, you know you don't want to do this, just stop it!" Piper yelled, holding her sister's quivering body in her arms. Cole glanced up at Parker who was curled up on the cage floor, his head buried in his legs. He imagined the life he could have had, if he hadn't ruined it. For a second, a very important second his human side regained control of his body and his innate instincts guided him. He turned towards the demon that now stood beside him. In his hand he created a ball of fire and threw it at the demon who instantly turned to a pile of dust. Phoebe looked up from her sister's arm hopefully. Cole proceeded to unlock the cage and drag out a shaking, frightened Parker.

"Cole?..." Phoebe asked in almost a whisper. The demons in the arena looked at one another quizzically. Once they realized that Cole was freeing their captive, they assembled and prepared to attack. Parker followed Cole's lead, not wanting to trust him, but seeing no other option.

"Leave!" Piper shouted to Cole as the demons busily fired orbs of fire and electricity towards him and Parker. Cole, along with Parker, quickly shimmered out of the underworld to the only other place Cole knew, the penthouse.

"Piper," Said Paige harshly, "without Cole we have no way out of this box. These demons are going to kill us!" Piper scanned the room. The group of demons had grown increasingly agitated since the disappearance of their sacrifice.

"Leo!" Shouted Piper hysterically, sensing the growing danger. Inside the box, the witches were powerless, a predicament they were not often faced with. Leo materialized momentarily and looking around the increasingly tense room, acted quickly.

"Throw a vanquishing potion to me." Leo ordered, his speech rapid. Paige quickly took one out of her bag and tossed it to Leo. All three witches were quite astounded when the tiny bottle actually made it past the invisible barrier. With one hand, Leo held a tattered piece of paper within the witches' view. "Say the spell, fast!" Leo said as the demons gathered around him. Together, Piper, Phoebe, and Paige read the small writing that was etched on the paper Leo held up for them. When the witched had finished talking, Leo threw the bottle into the air, only to have it explode midway up, vanquishing all the demons in the room. No one spoke for a minute, the excitement they had endured during the past ten minutes required at least thirty seconds of recuperation.

"The Elders told you to do that?" Piper asked as she leaned against an unseen wall.

"Nope, I looked it up in the Book of Shadows. The Elders had no idea how you were going to get yourselves out of that." Leo said proudly.

"What about this box?" Asked Phoebe who was incredibly eager to go catch up with Cole and Parker.

"That's quite a pickle." Said Leo as he walked around the box, testing it for weaknesses. 

"Can you orb in?" Asked Paige anxiously. Leo tried to orb in but bounced off the box's surface.

"Nope."

"Great." Said Phoebe sarcastically as she rubbed her temples restlessly. "I don't trust Cole with Parker." She finally said.

"He won't hurt him Pheebs." Said Piper soothingly, rubbing her sister's back, "Why save him if he was going to turn around and kill him later? Cole wouldn't do that, and I don't credit him with much." She said. Phoebe nodded, understanding her sisters argument but not totally comfortable with leaving her child in Cole's hands.

***

At the penthouse, Parker had seated himself comfortably on Cole's large living room couch. Cole paced around the room, a glass of brandy in hand. Parker watched Cole walk around the room, he was wary of him but at the same time he felt safer with Cole than he did at home. Parker wanted to say something to break the silence but he wasn't sure what would be appropriate. Cole had just found out he had a son and Parker had just realized Cole was his dad, nothing Parker could think of to say seemed to fit the void. Seconds after that last thought, a demon appeared, carried in by a cloud of black smoke.

"Can I help you?" Cole questioned calmly.

"I'm here for the boy. The other members of the council are quite upset that you took him." The demon said walking closer to Cole, trying to threaten him. "Just what are you planning" The demon asked gazing maliciously over at Parker.

"I've planned nothing." Cole said miserably taking a large sip of his brandy. As the other demon spoke Cole began questioning his decision. He had just sacrificed his place in the underworld for a woman who wanted him dead and a child who had to be terrified him. The demon, ready to take advantage of Cole's momentary weakness, seized the moment.

"I can take him back for you. We can tell the others..." He shrugged his shoulders casually, playing Cole like a flute, "...that you were worried about the threat the witches posed and that you took him away so they couldn't destroy our plan." Cole took another sip from his glass but said nothing. "They don't have to know what really happened, no one does." The demon pointed to Parker, "He's not going to say anything." Cole's gaze followed the demon's finger. He looked at Parker whose brow seemed permanently furrowed. Parker looked more like Phoebe than himself, except in the eyes, he definitely had Cole's eyes. Cole took one more sip of brandy then set the glass down.

"That's not going to work for me." Cole stated coolly.

"It's not? Cole do you realize what you'll be giving up?" The demon walked closer to Cole, trying to intimidate him no doubt. Cole looked at the floor, once again doubting himself and his sanity. "The boy is nothing. Humanity is weakness Cole, don't let weakness destroy your life." The demon placed a hand on Cole's shoulder, which made Cole coldly raise his eyes from the floor. He stared cruelly at the demon before speaking once again.

"I'm not destroying my life, I'm embracing it." Cole said before turning the demon the ash. Parker stared at the pile of black dust on the floor then looked up at Cole.

"Why did you do that?" Parker asked innocently. Cole was thrown off by the question; he had thought it was obvious why he had done what he had done. Before Cole could answer, Parker posed a more difficult question, "Do you love my mom?" Cole was taken aback. He picked up his glass again and took a swig. "Are you doing this for her?" He questioned, tilting his head amiably. Cole remained silent, not sure how exactly to answer Parker's question.

"I don't know." Cole finally answered, "Maybe."

***

"Come on Leo, think of something, anything!" Piper pleaded as she helplessly banged her hands on the invisible barrier separating her and her incredibly tired husband.

"I think the whole space thing is getting to me." Said Paige as she sat down and put her head between her legs.

"I'm trying the best I can." Leo whined. "It's not easy, I don't usually have to do these things alone. I'm also neglecting about thirty of my charges." Leo stopped trying to crack open the box and paced around the arena with his hands weakly on his head.

"I know you are Leo, it's just hard being so defenseless and powerless. I want to go find Cole, I need to go find Cole, but I can't because I am stuck in this stupid box!" As the sentence wore on Phoebe got more and more agitated. She too slid down to the cage's floor and huddled up next to Paige.

***

"She doesn't hate you ya know." Parker said to Cole after another long gap of silence. "She just says she does, but when she talks about you she gets all weak and... and I don't know, kind of happy I guess. She doesn't say she's happy but you can see it in her eyes. Maybe it's more of a longing than a happiness..." Parker trailed off, he noticed that Cole had turned his back to him and was filling his glass with more brandy. Parker sighed, stood up, and walked over to the balcony doors.

"You shouldn't stand by the window." Cole said, startling Parker. "Easy attack point." Parker backed away from the window and returned to his seat on the couch.

"Do you think they're okay down there?" Parker asked, not really expecting an answer. But to Parkers surprise, Cole turned around, propped himself up by the counter, and answered Parkers question,

"They'll be fine. They can handle themselves."

"Why did you leave?" The question threw Cole off at first; he hadn't expected such a direct query.

"Uh, when?"

"When you two divorced. Why didn't it work out?"

"She never told you?" Cole was a bit surprised that Phoebe would keep such key events from any member of her family, let alone her own son.

"No, she hasn't told me anything about you."

"I was a demon, I am demon. It's kind of hard to explain--"

"Or do you just not want to tell me?" Cole snickered silently to himself. So direct, so perceptive, just like him.

"Can we go get them? What if they're trapped in that box thing?" Parker rose from his chair again and looked out the window from a distance.

"Your mom?" Cole asked a little taken aback by the sudden change in topics.

"Yeah, they might need help." Cole was less than thrilled with the idea of facing the Charmed ones now. How would they react to him? He wondered. He looked at Parker's pleading face and gave into his request. 

***

"Okay, I think I've figured it out. Maybe if I throw vanquishing potions at the box, it will...it will, be vanquished." Leo said with his hands resting on his hips.

"Leo, vanquishing potions only work on demons, not on invisible boxes." Said Paige mockingly.

"This is driving me insane, I want out of this box. When I get my hands on Cole I am going to strangle him for this." Piper said with her back resting on the wall and her hands resting on her head. Leo stopped pacing for a moment, giving the witches the illusion that he had an idea.

"I have to go." He said suddenly.

"You can't leave us here." Paige whimpered.

"The Elders need to talk to me now, maybe they know how to free you." Leo shrugged and orbed out of the underworld, leaving the witches alone, trapped in a box.


	12. Chapter Twelve: End of Life, Beginning o...

Disclaimer: I do not own Charmed!

Suddenly, tearing the witches from their miserable situation, Cole appeared with Parker by his side.

"Mom!" Said Parker running as close as the barrier between the two would allow him to get. Phoebe longed to hold her son but settled for seeing his smiling face once again.

"You okay baby?" She asked, leaning against the wall.

"Yeah I'm fine." Parker said cheerfully. Phoebe smiled at her son then turned to Cole.

"Thank you Cole." Cole remained silent but nodded a silent 'you're welcome'. 

"Get us out of here Cole." Piper said impatiently as she watched Phoebe and Cole gawk at one another a while longer.

"Right." Cole made a quick, almost unseen, gesture with his hands and the box was gone. Phoebe immediately grabbed Parker and pulled him into a long hug. Piper and Paige stood awkwardly not sure of how to address Cole.

"So what now?" Asked Piper, bravely breaking the silence. "Where do we go from here? How do we stop this whole thing?" No one answered her question, no one knew how. Suddenly, Leo orbed into the center of the room. He was surprised at first to see Paige, Piper, and Phoebe released from their unseen prison. He was also a little shocked to see Cole and Parker back in the underworld.

"What did you find Leo?" Phoebe asked, glancing at Cole from the corner of her eye.

"A lot actually. I know how to end it." Leo spoke more solemnly than any of the witches had expected, he almost had regret in his voice.

"Well how?" Asked Paige eagerly. Leo looked at Cole guiltily before speaking.

"I know Leo, just tell them." Cole said looking at Leo and then again at Phoebe.

"What is it?" Asked Phoebe, suspicious of Cole's glance.

"Parker," Leo began, "it's actually you that has to uh, do it." Leo looked at Parker and then at the floor, it was obvious to all of them that Leo didn't want to tell Parker what he was going to have to do.

"What uncle Leo?" Asked Parker, eager to know his duty. Leo hesitated.

"You have to vanquish me." Cole said finally. Parker furrowed his brow again and looked at his uncle for confirmation. Leo nodded silently and looked at Phoebe for help.

"No one can vanquish Cole." Phoebe said to Leo, a bit bewildered by it all. No one answered, no one had to. The Elders didn't lie; everyone in the arena knew what had to be done.

"I don't want to." Parker said looking at his mother pleadingly. Phoebe didn't know how to answer her son's desperate plea.

"You don't have a choice." Said Cole calmly.

"But--" Parker began.

"Parker, a lot rests on your shoulders. You've got to do it, sooner rather than later." Leo said urgently.

"I don't know how." Parker said, stalling for the inevitable.

"You do." Said Cole who averted his gaze from Phoebe to Parker. "You just have to try." Parker looked up at the father he just met and hated the choice he was about to make.

"Fine." He said solemnly, looking at the ground. Cole breathed heavily and walked further away from the group of them. "Whenever you're ready." Phoebe watched him and couldn't for the life of her figure out how Cole was so calm. Parker backed into his mother and aunts who stood clumped together.

"What do I do?" Parker asked solemnly.

"Just concentrate, do it the same way you make fire." Cole said not looking up from the ground. Parker stared intently at Cole, the built up tension made Phoebe blurt out,

"Cole wait, I..." She paused for a moment reassessing the statement she had initially intended to say. Cole looked up from the floor, his face filled with sorrow. He longed for her to say those three simple words; the words he felt and he knew she did also. He didn't want to leave this life. He had a son he wouldn't see grow up and woman who would never know his true feelings, or would she? "...I... I wanted to thank you." She said finally, calming her emotions. Cole remained silent for a moment. He smiled weakly at Phoebe.

"Me too." He said hoping she would understand. She smiled and looked at the floor, she understood, she understood everything. Parker looked at his mother and then at Cole. He concentrated hard, the same way he did when he wanted to make fire. Within seconds a brilliant blue flame had engulfed Cole's body. He closed his eyes briefly, but then opened them again to catch one last glimpse of his son and the woman he loved. Parker stared at his father being eaten by the flames and then turned away, burying his head in his mother's stomach. Phoebe's eyes were locked with Cole's. As he closed his eyes for the last time, Phoebe closed hers only to release a single strand of tears. Then it was over. Cole was gone and the world was saved, thanks to the Charmed ones.

A/N: The End! What did you think?? Please review and tell me what you thought of the ending. I was thinking about doing a sequel, I already have an idea but I want to know what you guys think first. Should I go on or just leave it here? Thank you all so much for reading my story and thank you again to all of those who took the time to review. It was you that helped me finish this story. And to those who haven't reviewed, please do, it only takes a second and you don't have to be a member of fanfic.net to review, everyone can! 


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